But What About the Children?

A remarkable statistic, courtesy the Military Officers Association of America today: "More than 700,000 children have seen a parent deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, and three out of every five Active Duty, Reservists and National Guard members deployed to a warzone have family responsibilities." And war is hell on those kids left behind; trust me. MOAA also notes something I wasn't aware of till this afternoon: Today through Friday, the Military Child Education Coalition is holding its 10th annual conference at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center.

The theme of the conference this year is "For the Sake of the Child. For the Good of the World." And among the speakers will be Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Lieutenant Colonel Greg Gadson, Commander of the Second Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, who, according to the conference brochure, was "on his way back from a memorial service for two soldiers from his brigade when he lost both his legs to a roadside bomb in Baghdad." Gadson and his wife Kim will speak to the families in attendance. --Robert Wilonsky